Progressive candidates win on Victorian universities
By Bronwen Brook and Rachel Evans
MELBOURNE — Throughout 1994, students in Victoria have been fighting for the right to be represented, through the campaign against Voluntary Student Unionism. The campaign stressed were the need to have active, campaigning student representatives. As a result, groups of progressives now control most student representative bodies in Victoria.
The four main Victorian campuses, Melbourne, Monash (Clayton), RMIT (city and northern campus) and Latrobe are all now controlled by the left. Monash progressives united in a coalition, United Students, around anti-corruption issues, no VSU and anti-fees. United Students won most positions, with the exception of education officer and student newspaper representation.
At Melbourne University 5500 people voted, with all paid positions won by Left Focus, except women's officer, which was won by the Bloody Feminists. Left Focus also took up the no-VSU issue, anti-fees and supported the Bloody Feminist ticket in its campaign for an activist women's department and an activist Network of Women Students of Australia (NOWSA).
At RMIT city campus 1800 people voted, and Activate, the progressive ticket, won all offices. The left also gained the majority of positions on both the Victorian University of Technology (Footscray) and La Trobe campuses. At VUT (Footscray) between 700 and 800 people voted. A broad left coalition, Action Not Apathy, won 12 out of 14 council positions and four out of five faculty representatives. Action Not Apathy campaigned on the theme of getting students involved and creating a democratic student representative council.
Around 1600 students voted in the elections at La Trobe, where the broad left coalition group, Left Attitude, gained 11 out of 19 positions and the student newspaper. Left Attitude opposed VSU, up-front fees and increases to HECS; it also called for an active, democratic and campaigning student union which would take up feminist and environmental issues.
An important task is ensuring the campaigning focus is maintained. Di Quin, newly elected student representative councillor at LaTrobe University, commented, "We have seen a great victory for the left, but left activists shouldn't simply be focused on the elections. We need to use these positions to further radical activity on campuses."